


The Potion Predicament

by Seungkwan



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Minho's Cats - Freeform, the others are mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24245158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seungkwan/pseuds/Seungkwan
Summary: Seungmin is slipped a love potion as a prank, except... why isn't he acting any different than usual?
Relationships: Kim Seungmin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 27
Kudos: 536





	The Potion Predicament

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! I've had the general idea for this fic in my head for years, but didn't finally write it until now. Originally it was going to be a completely different pairing from a different group, but I think the world could use some more 2min fics.
> 
> In this universe, hyung line are 7th years, 00 line are 6th years, and Jeongin is a 5th year. The house sorting was kinda random, so.. don't take it too personally.
> 
> Minor warning for underage drinking (nobody gets drunk but they are 16-18 and have alcohol) and cursing but that's about it.
> 
> I haven't published anything in years so um.. here goes nothing! Thanks for reading :)

It was Friday Evening and the Great Hall was packed to the brim. The drone of hundreds of boisterous students and sounds of clattering silverware echoed throughout the room. To the average person, the atmosphere of the room might prove too chaotic, but for the majority of Hogwarts students, this was home.

At the Hufflepuff table, a student turned his turkey breast into a piece of strawberry cheesecake. The boy cheered at his own triumph once the spell was complete and his classmates replicated the sentiment. The Gryffindors watched with amusement, the Slytherins with disdain for their peaceful meal being ruined, and the Ravenclaws looked a tad impressed that Felix, who had been attempting to perfect his transfiguration technique for months, had finally succeeded.

“Took him long enough,” Jeongin muttered from the Ravenclaw table. He sounded mildly irritated, but anyone who knew Jeongin well enough could pick up on the fond undertone laced into his voice.

Next to him, Changbin rolled his eyes before loading a serving of potatoes onto his plate. Minho sat across from both of them, playing with his food noncommittally. He didn’t appear to have an appetite, as he had been dragging his fork back and forth on his plate for minutes now. A few other Ravenclaws sent him a pitying look when they noticed.

“I'm sure Dori is fine,” Changbin reassured, aware of why Minho looked so dejected. He paused, waiting for the Hufflepuff table to quiet down so he could be heard before continuing. “This isn’t the first time she’s run off, is it?”

“No,” Minho replied dejectedly, not looking comforted despite Changbin’s intentions. He dropped his fork onto his plate defeatedly, the clanking sound that it made barely noticeable with all of the ruckus going on around them. “But I haven’t seen her since this morning. That’s eight hours, Changbin. She needs her dinner.”

“Maybe she snuck down to the kitchens again?” Jeongin offered, his hopeful attitude prevalent. He just hoped that he wasn't going to make matters worse. Everyone knew how much Minho’s cats meant to him and tried not to push his buttons on the subject (except a few select Slytherins, of course, who loved to make matters worse for the sheer fun of it).

“Jeongin is right. You know how the house elves love to spoil her with fish. We can go look together after dinner.”

Minho shook his head and puffed out his cheeks. “No, no, I already asked Wispy before coming here. She said that her and the other elves haven’t seen her anywhere.”

Both Changbin and Jeongin looked stumped, not sure what they could do to help their friend cheer up. It wasn’t the first time Dori had run off and gotten herself into trouble, but they usually found her within a few hours and it wasn’t an issue, the kitten usually finding her way back to the Ravenclaw common room if someone accidentally let her out.

“We’ll look for her together after dinner,” Changbin said in consolation, shooting Jeongin a glare when Minho wasn’t paying attention that said, just agree with me or else. Jeongin nodded, reluctantly acknowledging his agreement to help with the search.

Minho smiled faintly, but still looked concerned. “Thanks guys, I’m sure she couldn’t have gotten far.”

Not knowing what else to say, the friend group fell into an awkward silence amongst the chattering Great Hall around them. Minho picked up his fork and continued to drag it across his plate distractedly, and Jeongin would have felt guilty to ask if he could have his garlic bread, so he stole Changbin’s instead. Being a fifth year and the baby of the friend group, he could get away with little things like that and Minho and Changbin would just pretend that they didn’t notice.

Suddenly, a small mass scurried into the great hall and began barrelling towards the far end of the Ravenclaw table. Changbin wouldn’t have noticed her if it wasn’t for the fact that he sat at an angle that allowed him full access view of the Great Hall entrance. The noise in the room cancelled the sound of scurried footsteps, but Changbin nonetheless noticed the mass that was quickly advancing on them.

It was, without a doubt, Minho’s missing cat in question, her little legs scurrying towards them as fast as they could. Changbin raised an eyebrow, wondering how the heck Dori had found them when they were here of all places. To his memory, she had never been in the Great Hall before.

But the little kitten knew her owner, and was scratching at Minho’s legs before Changbin could make a comment about how she had appeared.

“Dori!” He exclaimed, not too loud to avoid disturbing her, before picking the kitten up and cradling her in his arms. She made a soft purring noise and nuzzled her nose into his shoulder.

“Thank god,” Jeongin murmured, probably happier about not having to search for the cat than he was about the cat actually being found. Minho didn’t notice, though, as he was too busy coddling Dori to notice much of anything else.

“You gotta stop disappearing like that,” He admonished, his voice an octave higher than usual. He kissed Dori on the head and placed her onto his lap carefully, still petting the purring animal.

The peace that overcame the friend group was short lived, for no less than thirty seconds after Dori appeared did a very angry Kim Seungmin come bursting into the great hall, his robes billowing behind him as he practically stomped into the room. The Slytherin 6th year was practically seething, and Changbin, who noticed him first, knew that it couldn’t mean anything good.

Changbin noted the way Seungmin’s hair was sticking up in all directions, his usually neat white shirt wrinkled under his slytherin robes, as if he had hastily put himself together before rushing to the Great Hall. He tramped through the hall angrily, only stopping once he was planted right in front of where Minho was eating.

A few students had taken notice of the situation, probably confused from the Slytherin’s dishevelled state. Seungmin never looked less than the perfect prefect that he is, nose stuck up and ready to scold anyone who breaks the rules, as if they’re so beneath him. The curious students' eyes lingered, expecting all hell to break loose with Seungmin in such a state. The Slytherin’s looked like they were expecting some free entertainment, and one even conjured up some popcorn for him and his friends. Changbin and Jeongin knew it to be possible for a fight to break out when it came to Minho and Seungmin. The two had clashed for years, never seeing eye to eye on anything. It was no surprise to see Seungmin glaring at the other with so much contemptment, but the question was about what Minho supposedly did this time?

Minho took notice of the boy behind him seconds later, tearing his attention from Dori to see Seungmin glowering at him. He shot him a challenging stare in return, as if daring the younger to bother him at such a time. Minho did not like to be interrupted when he was with his cats.

Seungmin didn’t back down, though. If anything, Minho returning his glare seemed to make the Slytherin angrier, his breathing heavy with frustration and what appeared to be weariness from rushing to the Great Hall.

“Do you need something, Seungmin?” Changbin asked, his voice slicing through the tense, hushed air like a knife. By now, most of the Ravenclaw table and a few Slytherins were paying attention to the scene with interest. Over at the Gryffindor table, Han Jisung was eating the cheesecake Felix conjured up and stopped mid-bite to strain his neck, curious as to what was going on.

Seungmin’s eyes flicked to Changbin briefly before they settled back on Minho, and more specifically, on Dori. Minho seemed to notice, and he shielded the kitten from view.

“Can you explain to me how the hell that thing ended up in my dorm?” Seungmin asked, the last three words practically a hiss. He looked like smoke could come out of his ears, the way his face was turning red.

“She has a name!” Minho exclaimed in exasperation, offended at the way Seungmin regarded Dori.

“I don’t care,” Seungmin said curtly. “Tell her to stay away from the Slytherin common room and off of my face.”

“Are you implying that you’re the reason Dori went missing?” Minho asked, looking absolutely murderous by this point.

Seungmin groaned, rubbing a bit of sleep from his eyes. It made him look much less threatening. “Do you listen, Lee Minho? I didn’t touch your damn cat. She showed up in my bed a few minutes ago and ruined my afternoon nap. How she got in there is beyond me, but I bet one of my idiot housemates thought it would be funny to let her in.”

“And how is that my fault?” Minho asked, caught between amusement at Dori ruining Seungmin’s afternoon and irritation with the other for disturbing him as such. He was picturing a sleeping Seungmin, screeching like a first year at the sight of a cat looming over him as he awakened. 

“She’s your pet!” Seungmin sputtered, outraged that Minho wasn’t seeing the issue. “Keep better track of her, and keep her the hell away from me.”

“Exactly! She’s a cat, she's curious!” Minho retorted. Just then, Dori wriggled off Minho’s lap and landed on the floor with a plop before scuttling through the Great Hall and out the door. A dozen heads turned to watch her go before looking back at the arguing students. “Great job! You scared her.”

“I didn’t do shit, and if I didn’t know any better I would think you did this on purpose,” Seungmin said venomously.

“I did no such thing! I’d rather lower my hand into a cauldron of boiling oil than allow her anywhere near you.”

“Wonderfully descriptive,” Seungmin deadpanned, looking as unamused as he sounded.

“Why don’t you both shut up? You’re giving me a headache,” Jeongin said in a voice that sounded too innocent to be casual. He sounded like he was planning their demise (or, more likely, a bat bogey hex when they least expected it). 

Seungmin’s nostrils flared, and he looked torn for a moment, the fire in his eyes not diminishing. After a moment of thought, though, he must have made his decision to let it go and walked away from all three of them whilst muttering something about annoying Ravenclaws and being hungry.

“I need to look for Dori,” Minho said once he was done glaring daggers at Seungmin’s back. He left his half-eaten meal and exited the Great Hall angrily before either Changbin or Jeongin had a chance to stop him.

“Do you think he’s mad at me?” Jeongin asked, not sounding like he cared much either way.

Changbin replied, “Probably not. If anything, he’s grateful you got Seungmin to shut up so that he could go look for Dori.”

The Great Hall returned to its previous state, the hushed voices animated once the after effect of the scene had worn off. Some students left, only having hung around to catch any pieces of the drama. That was one of the worst things about Hogwarts, how everyone always wanted to be in your business. It was like a small town filled with gossiping old ladies, except the old ladies were teenagers with magic powers.

Changbin was already finished with his food, and was waiting for Jeongin so that they could walk back to the common room together.

Minho’s chair, that was unoccupied upon his departure, was suddenly slid out from the table as someone sat across from Changbin and Jeongin, both of who looked at the intruder with similar shocked expressions.

“Hi, Hyunjin,” Changbin said, but it sounded more like a question.

Hwang Hyunjin was a sixth year hufflepuff, and Seungmin’s closest friend. While it wasn’t unheard of for Hufflepuffs and Slytherins to form friendships, it was still, more often than not, an uncommon pairing due to a difference of interests from students in those houses. Seungmin seemed to genuinely enjoy Hyunjin’s company, though, and the Hufflepuff seemed nice enough. Nobody had a problem with Hyunjin, per say, but Seungmin and Minho’s long-running feud certainly never gave Changbin or Jeongin any reason to associate with him. Not to mention, he wasn’t in either of their years. His sudden appearance at the Ravenclaw table wasn’t one either of the two boys could make sense of.

“Guess I should cut to the chase?” He asked upon noticing the confused expressions directed towards him. Changbin nodded, feeling even more confused, wondering what Hyunjin could possibly want from them.

Hyunjin rummaged through the pockets of his robe and produced a small bottle, no larger than the average ring finger. The bottle was clear and had a recognizable orange and purple label adorning the outside. The liquid that filled the bottle was a translucent pink, and it shimmered when hit with light as if it was filled with glitter. Carefully, Hyunjin placed the bottle on the table and rested his finger on top to keep it in place.

“Is that a Weasley product?” Jeongin asked in awe, reaching his arm across the table to grab the bottle.

Hyunjin snatched it up and returned it to his pocket, ignoring Jeongin’s pout, and nodded.

“How’d you get that past the wards?” Changbin asked, knowing that any Weasley Wizard Wheezes products were strictly prohibited from entering Hogwarts grounds.

“And why would I share my secrets with you?” Hyunjin countered, and waited for their stunned silence that ensued before he continued. “The point is, I have it. And I think I should use it.”

Unsure as to why Hyunjin was telling them about this, Changbin pressed the issue. “What even is it?”

Hyunjin smirked, his dimples peaking out endearingly. “It’s-” he lowered his voice and whispered, “a love potion.”

Not only were Weasley Wizard Wheezes products banned from the grounds, but love potions were explicitly against rules and could easily land a student in detention for the rest of the year if they were caught possessing one. How Hyunjin managed to get it in his hands was beyond anything Changbin could guess, but he had seen the label himself and recognized the liquid inside from the few times he had visited the store.

“Why the hell are you telling us about it?” Jeongin asked, but Changbin could hear the interest in his tone. And if Jeongin was interested, it would be impossible to dissuade him from participating in whatever Hyunjin was planning.

“I want to use it,” Hyunjin said matter-of-factly. He glanced around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on their conversation, but by now students were back to their usual dinner time antics. “I’m tired of hearing Seungmin complain about Minho and their constant bickering.”

“And so you think a love potion will…?” Changbin trailed off, not sure where this could possibly be going.

“I think that it’ll give Seungmin a taste of his own medicine,” Hyunjin said. “He never shuts up about Minho. He sometimes keeps me up at night to complain about him!”

“Who are you suggesting we give it to?” Jeongin asked, and Changbin wanted to smother the kid for even considering an idea as dumb, not to mention against the rules, as this.

“I think Seungmin should drink it,” Hyunjin replied, sounding like he had it all planned out. “Seungmin and I always prank each other, and the potion I got is mild anyways. It’ll only last fifteen minutes max, and I’ve got an antidote on hand if it’s really necessary.”

“Are you really sure that you gain something worthwhile from this?” Jeongin asked, but he still sounded interested.

Hyunjin replied, “Like I said, it’s just a prank, nothing worse than some of the ones Seungmin has pulled on me in the past.”

“If I’m understanding correctly, the end goal here is to see Seungmin fawning obsessively over Minho as opposed to complaining obsessively about him?” Changbin asked, and Hyunjin nodded.

Changbin didn’t like that he was starting to warm up to the idea, but it did sound interesting. Not to mention entertaining. Plus, it wasn’t Minho drinking the curse, so what’s the worst that could happen to him or his friends? Assuming they didn’t get caught, of course.

“So you need us to help it get administered,” Jeongin said, and suddenly Hyunjin coming to them made perfect sense. 

“That’s right,” Changbin said absentmindedly. “To use a love potion on Seungmin, wouldn’t Minho have to be the one to give it to him? How are we gonna manage to do that?”

“I already figured that part out,” Hyunjin said with a wave of his hands. He pulled out another bottle from his robes in addition to the love potion, but this time it appeared to be a soda drink from Honeydukes. Hyunjin opened both the bottles and poured the contents from the love potion into the regular bottle. Then, he pulled out his wand and uttered an incantation that re-sealed the soda.

“Tomorrow, Seungmin will probably sleep in late since his nap was disrupted by Minho’s cat. So when we’re all down here before him, one of you is going to convince Minho to drop this drink off at my table. Since it's a Saturday and the room won’t be too crowded, I’ll sit at the Slytherin table.”

He slid the love potion soda across the table and Jeongin caught it, looking at it with respect held for Hyunjin’s plan.

“And how will we get Minho to do that?” Changbin asked, looking to find any flaw in Hyunjin’s plan, any excuse to not have to go through with it.

But Hyunjin had thought of everything. “Say you lost a bet, or that I helped tutor you, or anything to get him to bring the drink to our table. That will be enough for the potion to identify him as the giver. And when Seungmin finally gets to the Great Hall, I’ll tell him that the soda’s for him.”

“And after that,” Jeongin said with a smile. “Chaos ensues.”

“I can’t imagine Seungmin infatuated with anyone, let alone Minho, even if it’s induced by a potion,” Changbin commented. “Then again, I don’t know him all that well.”

“I’ve been his best friend for three years and I feel the same,” Hyunjin said. “Sometimes I wonder if he even likes people in general, but honestly I think he’s just secretive about it.”

Jeongin looked elated, and Changbin couldn’t believe he was going along with this. But the tampered drink was already in their possession, and Jeongin didn’t seem to have any reservations.

“If we go down, you’re taking the blame for this,” Changbin said, pointing a finger at Hyunjin as he was getting up to leave. Hyunjin lingered, matching Changbin’s gaze and flashed a small smile.

“Fair enough,” The Hufflepuff said. “But don’t worry, we won’t get caught. Seungmin and I have pulled much worse pranks on each other before.”

And then he was gone, and Jeongin was slipping the bottle into his own robes with a mischievous grin spread across his face. Hyunjin’s words made Changbin feel more unsettled if anything, but he knew there was little he could do to stop the plan in motion at that point.

The next morning, everything went according to plan. Hyunjin’s inkling about Seungmin sleeping proved accurate, the older showing up to the Great Hall before Seungmin. Minho, along with his friends Changbin and Jeongin, were already there when he arrived. Hyunjin noticed that Minho was already in possession of the bottle, and concluded that Jeongin must have come up with a convincing enough story already.

Minho approached Hyunjin soon after he sat down.

“Hi, I think this is for you,” He said, his voice slow, dripping with the awkward tension he felt, as he placed the bottle on the table. Hyunjin made sure not to pick it up, for fear he would change the effects of the potion if it considered him the one giving it to Seungmin. He was glad Minho hadn’t tried to hand it directly to him. “Jeongin said you helped him out with some transfiguration homework and that this is his thank you.”

Minho sounded skeptical, as if not believing Jeongin’s story. It made total sense, since Hyunjin and Jeongin had probably never spoken a word to each other in their entire lives. Minho knew that, but also probably couldn’t come up with a reason for Jeongin to be lying to him and just assumed it was some fluke that the two practically-strangers ended up working together.

“Oh, tell Jeongin I said it’s no problem. I’ll help him again anytime,” Hyunjin grinned and Minho nodded, still looking suspicious but not enough that he was going to press the issue.

“Alright, err, I’ll be going then,” He said, and after a small wave he had his back to Hyunjin, who shot a thumbs up sign to Jeongin and Changbin.

Hyunjin acted normal after that, putting some pancakes on his plate and topping them off with berries and syrup. Knowing Seungmin, Hyunjin didn’t think it would be much longer before he arrived. Even though he was getting extra sleep, Seungmin was always up early enough to not miss breakfast.

Hyunjin was right, as Seungmin arrived at the Great hall a few minutes after he had spoken to Minho. Contrary to his disheveled state the evening before, he showed up to breakfast looking as put-together as usual, not a hair out of place. It was something that people teased him for when he was younger, calling him a prude or a goodie-two-shoes for not even ever leaving his shirt untucked, or his hair messy, but now Seungmin was a prefect and got the last laugh in the end. Hyunjin admired him for it.

Hyunjin was sitting at the Slytherin table when he arrived. It wasn’t unusual for them to eat together on a Saturday morning, so Seungmin eagerly went to sit with his best friend. It was as he was sitting down, though, that he noticed a bottle of Honeyduke’s Snapping Cherry Cola, and his eyes lit up with excitement.

“Is this for me?” Seungmin asked happily as he slid into his seat, and Hyunjin smiled from seeing the twinkle in his best friend's eyes.

“My mom sent a gift basket for me,” He lied easily, knowing it was completely believable and would avoid any unwanted questions.

“You don’t mind if I have it?” Seungmin asked, but he was already opening the bottle before Hyunjin could reply. He knew that Hyunjin was aware of it being his favorite drink, and assumed he left it on the table for him in the first place.

Hyunjin said nothing, and watched with one brow raised as Seungmin unscrewed the cap with an airy pop, downing a huge sip that had the bottle half empty within seconds.

“I think I was dehydrated,” Seungmin commented, putting the drink down to create his own stack of pancakes.

Hyunjin studied him thoroughly, waiting for the other’s eyes to glaze over with the effects of the potion, for his entire demeanor to suddenly shift as his infatuation with Minho took over. He waited seconds, watching as Seungmin put an astronomical amount of whipped cream on his own pancakes. Nothing about him seemed to be different, but Hyunjin knew that couldn’t be the case.

Seconds turned into minutes, and Hyunjin watched, utterly flabbergasted, as Seungmin scarfed down his pancakes like everything was normal. He drank more of the soda, let out a sigh, and dragged his eyes up to meet Hyunjin’s.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” He asked, and Hyunjin jumped a little in his seat.

“No reason!” He said too quickly, and Seungmin’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I’m just wondering how a sane human being can ingest that much whipped cream.”

Seungmin seemed to buy the lie, and let out a giggle before downing the rest of the love potion soda. Hyunjin looked in the direction of the Ravenclaw table and found a very confused Jeongin and Changbin looking at him. Hyunjin shrugged, to show he was just as clueless as they were, before looking back to Seungmin.

“Are you feeling alright?” He asked, which was code for ‘Do you suddenly want to make out with Lee Minho for no logical reason?’

“Alright? Yea, I feel fine. Is this about last night? Because if so, I’m over it. I’m used to shit being ruined by Minho at this point.”

Hyunjin perked up when he heard Minho’s name come out of Seungmin’s mouth, but furrowed his eyebrows in confusion upon hearing his friend’s vexed tone. “Huh?” He thought aloud without thinking.

“I promise I’m fine,” Seungmin said again, oblivious to the true reasons for Hyunijn’s response. “I just needed a nice long sleep without Minho’s damn cat ruining it.”

Hyunjin was getting more confused as every second passed, because Seungmin was acting like he hadn’t even drank the potion. Had he messed something up? Seungmin was obviously speaking about Minho with as much scorn as usual, so it was impossible that the potion had worked the way he intended it to. Hyunjin wondered if it had somehow backfired and made Seungmin fall in love with someone else, but that seemed unlikely with the way Seungmin was acting too normal. By now, he should be speaking about the person of his newfound affections, no matter who it was.

“Do you by any chance have the urge to spontaneously confess your love for someone?” Hyunjin bluntly asked, and relished in the way Seungmin looked at him like he had three heads. It would have made him burst into uncontrollable laughter any other time, but right now Hyunjin’s mind was too muddled with thoughts of the potion.

“Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?”

Hyunjin waved him off, but was very unsettled. “Of course not. But if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the library,” He said suddenly. “I forgot about a History of Magic paper that’s due.”

“It's Saturday,” Seungmin protested, but Hyunjin wasn’t listening to him. He needed to investigate what had happened and why the potion wasn’t working, and the library seemed like a good place to start.

A very confused Kim Seungmin stared after his best friend leaving the room. At the Ravenclaw table, Jeongin and Changbin wore similar expressions as they stared after where Hyunjin had left moments before.

“I think he bamboozled us,” Changbin said to Jeongin a few hours later, once Minho had left them to go check on his cats back in the Ravenclaw Common room.

“Who the fuck says bamboozled?” Jeongin retorted, and he kicked a stone hard enough that it flew into the lake nearby. It was a sunny day, the light filtering over the grounds magnificently, and so the friends decided to talk outside. “I don’t think so, though. What would Hyunjin have to gain for tricking us like that?”

Changbin had to admit that he had no answers to that question. It made no sense, the way they both had seen Seungmin drink the love potion, but nothing came out of it. Hyunjin seemed to act like he, too, had a clue, but then the boy suddenly ran from the Great Hall and hadn’t been seen since. It felt like he was hiding from them, but why? Jeongin was right to say it didn’t add up for Hyunjin to have fooled them, but he couldn’t think of another explanation.

A large part of him was relieved that it didn’t work, if only because it kept his own ass out of trouble for certain. A tiny piece of his brain was disappointed, though, because he wanted to see what would happen. But perhaps it was for the better. Seungmin might be annoying, but he seemed like an alright enough guy when he wasn’t picking fights with Minho. Changbin didn’t want to get on his bad side as well.

He was abruptly pulled from his thoughts by a voice. “Finally, I found you guys. You won’t believe what I found!”

It was Hyunjin. He looked at the two Ravenclaws with an excited expression, the sunlight making his eyes practically sparkle. Jeongin tossed another rock into the Great Lake, waiting for it to skip across the water and land with a plop before turning back to face Hyunjin.

“You wanna explain what happened at breakfast?” He got right to the point, crossing his arms. He tried to be awfully scary for a fifth year, but Hyunjin didn’t buy into his fake bravo.

“I know you guys have no reason to trust me, but I was just as stumped as you guys were about the whole thing. I was the one who planned this after all! And the execution was perfect.”

“Except for the fact that it didn't work.”

“Which confused the hell out of me,” Hyunjin said. “Which is why I went to the library to do some research on love potions.”

“And what did you find?” Changbin asked.

“Nothing,” Hyunjin said, but quickly elaborated when he was met with unamused glances. “I didn’t find anything in the library, but perhaps I didn’t look hard enough. It doesn’t matter. I remembered after a while that if you peel back the label on the bottle, there’s more info about the product.”

He pulled out the empty love potion bottle to demonstrate. As he said, the label peeled back to reveal a plethora of fine print.

“I read through all of it, and most of it pertained how the potion should be administered and whatnot, but when I kept reading, I came across something exceptionally interesting,” he said, and Changbin wasn’t sure how he felt about the sly grin on the other man’s face.

“Well tell us,” Jeongin whined impatiently, but Hyunjin just cast him an eye roll and ignored him.

“At first, I thought it couldn’t be possible. I reasoned that the potion had to be faulty, but I’ve never heard of that happening with a Weasley’s product. But the more I thought about it, like really thought about it, the more sense it made.”

Hyunjin paused, as if for dramatic effect, and Changbin kind of wanted to hex him in that moment. He wasn’t even going to pretend like he wasn't interested in what the Hufflepuff was saying. So the potion was legitimate? He had never heard of a love potion failing, and had no idea what could have made it do so.

“It says it right here,” Hyunjin said, scanning the fine print on the bottle for what he was looking for. “Aha! Here it is-” he cleared his throat “-’In the event of the drinker showing no symptoms or signs of infatuation, he or she already must already have feelings for the person intended.”

His grin grew impossibly wider as he threw the bottle to Changbin, who double checked and saw that it did, indeed, say the exact thing that Hyunjin had read off to them.

“So that means…” he trailed off.

Jeongin gasped suddenly. “Seungmin likes Minho!” He exclaimed, but then he suddenly stopped and pursed his lips. “Seungmin likes Minho?” He said again, this time as a soft question. Changbin could practically see the gears in his head turning to try and figure this out.

“That’s just not possible,” Changbin said.

“And why not?” Hyunjin immediately replied, clearly having it all figured out in his own head. Changbin was coming to hate how he did that.

“They-they-” Changbin began, but Hyunjin cut him off.

“Hate each other?” He finished. “That they do, or so we thought! Maybe Minho really does hate Seungmin, but I don’t think it goes both ways.”

“So you think Seungmin secretly has a crush on him?” Jeongin asked, looking more confused than ever.

“That’s exactly what I think,” Hyunjin said. He seemed to find enjoyment in having the two Ravenclaws in front of him flabbergasted, and likewise paused again for effect before continuing. “The more I thought about the way Seungmin constantly talks about Minho, the more I realized how abnormal it is. Like, who talks about someone they hate so obsessively?”

“I guess you have a point there,” Jeongin said easily, but Changbin still wasn’t convinced.

“If this is true, how’d you never notice before?” He asked. “Isn’t Seungmin supposed to be your best friend?”

Hyunjin sighed. “Seungmin is a strange guy. Don’t get me wrong, he’s my best friend and I love him to death, but he has an odd way of expressing himself,” Hyunjin explained. “I’ve never seen Seungmin so fixated on something like the way he gets when talking about Minho. I think maybe, years ago, Seungmin really did dislike him, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore, nor do I think it has been for a while.”

Jeongin hummed thoughtfully. “When you put it like that, it does kind of make sense. Seungmin and Minho have been butting heads since they were in second and third year, haven’t they? If Seungmin suddenly began to, you know, have feelings of whatever, maybe he is so embarrassed about it that he just tries to act like they’ve always been?”

When it was put like that, Changbin suddenly thought that it made sense. It would explain the love potion not working, and also put the whole dynamic between Seungmin and Minho into perspective. Changbin was pretty sure Minho didn’t feel the same way about Seungmin if this was true, though, and he couldn’t help the pang of pity for the Slytherin that hit him at that thought. Nothing about Minho’s behavior had ever implied he regarded Seungmin in that way. If anything, Seungmin was basically the equivalent of a stinging hex that hurt less and just prodded at you annoyingly for hours.

“It makes sense though, it really does,” Hyunjin repeated. “Once I read the label, it all fell into place.”

“The question is, what do we do now that we know?” Changbin asked, and he certainly didn’t like the way that the other two boys looked like they were actively scheming. “Oh, no no, we are not going to mess with this.”

“I think that is exactly what we should do,” Jeongin said in that innocent voice of his, and Changbin wanted to scream.

“I think we should pretend that we never found out and leave it be for the sake of Seungmin’s pride.”

“But that’s no fun,” Hyunjin protested.

“He’s your best friend!”

“And that is exactly why I should do something!” Hyunjin exclaimed. “The only question here is what.”

“What indeed,” Jeongin echoed.

Changbin could tell that at this point, there was no getting through to either of them. He could either go along with the ride or leave them to their planning, and Changbin didn’t like feeling left out.

“Fine, fine, just don’t do anything too stupid,” Changbin caved, and Jeongin looked happy to see his friend was on board with whatever crazy antics were to come as a result of his scheming.

“Is there really any point for me to go to this?”

Seungmin was trailing behind Hyunjin as they walked the eerie halls of Hogwarts. He might have been going to the school for six years already, but there was something unsettling about the dungeons and various statues around the castle that sometimes appeared to move. It was Saturday night, only a few hours from their designated curfew, and Hyunjin had appeared in front of the Slytherin common room out of nowhere, demanding anyone who walked by to alert Seungmin that he was there.

Now, the two were on their way to a monthly “gathering” that Seungmin had never had any intention of attending. By “gathering”, it was more like a party, but the Hogwarts Professors didn’t like it to be referred to as such. It was for older students to get together and promote inter-house unity, which Seungmin thought was a little dumb considering that the war ended twenty years before and the hostility between houses was stablilitzed at its all-time low. He was a Slytherin walking with a Hufflepuff, for crying out loud. He was pretty sure that the parties were just an excuse to sneak firewhiskey and other things into the castle without fear of being reprimanded for it. The professors probably suspected the students of sneaking in alcohol, but any past attempts of proving such had been futile, so they usually let the parties exist without supervision. The planned meetings were monthly, and had been a tradition for the past few years since a graduated student had come up with the idea.

Seungmin had never held any interest in attending one of the gatherings before, as parties weren’t really his scene. Why would he want to spend hours hanging out with classmates he never even talked to in the first place just to get drunk and play stupid party games? But Hyunjin had been insistent tonight that he and Seungmin go, for reasons that he couldn’t imagine.

“There absolutely is a point,” Hyunjin said. “I think it’s time you go out and make some more friends!”

“I have plenty of friends!” Seungmin argued, but Hyunjin just glanced at him with a raised eyebrow over his shoulder, clearly unconvinced.

“If you have so many friends, an outing like this should be no biggie,” He said in a sickly sweet voice, and Seungmin grumbled at him, an admittance of defeat. He couldn’t bring himself to say no to Hyunjin, though, who looked so excited at the prospect of bringing him.

The party was being held in a classroom that’s been unused for at least as long as Seungmin has been going to Hogwarts. It had been fixed up a bit by the students who created this entire arrangement, the desks and chairs being swapped out for a more comfortable alternative. Now, the room was adorned with large purple couches and curtains to match, the floor now a light colored carpet that was soft enough to lay on. The colors were chosen to be house neutral, since all houses were invited.

When him and Hyunjin arrived, there were at least a dozen other people in the room already. Seungmin recognized most, but not all of the people. Multiple were from his year, like Felix and Jisung. His interactions with Jisung didn't go beyond the classes they had shared together over the year, but he did consider Felix an acquaintance of sorts. He was closer with Hyunjin than he was to Seungmin, but the Slytherin enjoyed his company every once in a while nonetheless. In addition to those students, he knew a seventh year, Bang Chan, for being the head of Slytherin house, but any other seventh years there weren’t people he was acquainted with. Except for...

“What the hell is he doing here?” Seungmin asked, glaring at Hyunjin when he saw Minho sitting on one of the loveseats. Changbin was next to him, but their other friend, Jeongin, wasn’t to be seen. Seungmin was fairly sure that Jeongin was a fifth year, and the parties were only for the sixth and seventh years, which easily explained his absence.

“Hell if I know!” Hyunjin replied, but he seemed to be avoiding Seungmin’s gaze. “Why don't we get some drinks?”

Seungmin had no interest in getting drunk, choosing instead to get water as it was the least likely drink to have been spiked. Hyunjin got a firewhiskey, ignoring Seungmin when he said it was a bad idea, and soon the two of them, with Hyunjin in the lead, were found sitting on the much-too-comfortable floor nearby where Minho and his friend were sitting.

“How are you, Changbin?” Asked Hyunjin conversationally, and Seungmin gaped because since when the hell do those two know each other? Both Changbin and Minho were a year above them, and if it wasn’t for countless inconvenient instances that allowed for Seungmin and Minho to run into each other(and, eventually, fight), he would have no clue of the upper classmen’s existences.

“I’m alright,” Changbin said. He glanced over at Seungmin, who winced awkwardly when greeted. “Err, hi, Seungmin.”

He waved back, suddenly thankful for the terrible music playing that masked the awkward tension he was feeling. Hyunjin didn’t seem to notice it, though, as he immediately struck up a conversation with Changbin about a potion assignment.

Seungmin hesitantly looked over at Minho and was surprised to see that the older was petting a cat. It wasn’t Dori, though, because this cat was ginger and much larger, as well as probably older, than the kitten that had woken Seungmin from his nap the day before.

“Whose cat is that?” He asked before he could stop himself from speaking.

Seungmin flicked his eyes up, his irises boring into Seungmin’s eyes only momentarily before he went back to stroking the cat's fur. At first, Seungmin thought that the other wasn’t going to answer, but he was proven wrong.

“Soonie is my cat,” He said, gathering the little fellow up in his arms and kissing it on the head. The cat mewed affectionately, Minho nuzzling into her cheek momentarily before lowering her gently back onto his lap. Seungmin’s heart clenched painfully, and his mind shot himself internal excuses about it being because of how cute the cat is (spoiler alert: it wasn’t about the cat).

“I thought that Dori was your cat,” Seungmin deadpanned, and Minho looked annoyed at that.

“And Soonie is my cat as well. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Doesn’t Hogwarts only allow one personal pet?” He asked, knowing the rules pertaining to the subject like the back of his hand.

“Relax,” Hyunjin said, laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Who cares if he has two cats running around anyways?”

“Three!” Minho chimed in, looking happy to talk about his cats. When met with questionable stares, he chuckled. “Doongie, too. She doesn’t like to leave the dorm. And usually soonie doesn’t, either, but I’ve been too busy to give her proper attention lately so I brought her along.”

“Three cats?” Seungmin asked, his eyes almost bulging out of his head. “That’s preposterous, and completely against the rules! Not to mention irresponsible. No wonder you’re always losing track of them.”

“Hey, Seungmin, buddy. You’re gonna have to chill out. Clearly Minho loves his cats, and if he probably gets help taking care of them from his housemates.”

“But Hyunjin-”

“No,” Hyunjin cut him off, finding that trying to calm his friend down wasn’t having any avail. “Just let it go before you cause a scene that you regret.”

Seungmin, knowing that his friend was right but also feeling somewhat betrayed for not having his side taken, huffed and got up to walk away from them in irritation. More people had arrived by then, the body count probably over twenty. With this many people around, Seungmin easily slipped through the mass of them and away from his friends. He found himself back over by the drinks a moment later, scanning the table and sighing when he realized that water was still his best option if he didn’t want to end up tipsy like the lightweight he is. He’d learned that one the hard way in fifth year during a trip to Hogsmeade when he tried his first Dragon Barrel Brandy.

By now the sun was almost set outside, and glittery lights had been strung up around the room to give it a more ‘magical’ appearance. The chatter was getting louder, along with the music to keep up, and Seungmin knew it wouldn’t long before he had a headache from it all. He considered slipping out without anyone noticing, even though he knew Hyunjin would be disappointed in him when he realized, but it was divinely tempting when he was having no fun at this party in the first place. Not to mention, he hadn’t expected to see Minho with one of his stupid cats again.

Stupid Minho, always there to ruin his day without even trying.

Apparently, Seungmin spent too long pondering his options, because Hyunjin caught up to him and grabbed onto his arm earnestly. The water in Seungmin’s glass sloshed when Hyunjin gripped him, but only Seungmin noticed the water that splashed over the front of his shirt and made a chill run through him accordingly. The chill was short lived, though, for the mesh of sweaty bodies occupying the room was making the area heat up quickly.

“Cmon, minnie, we’re playing truth or dare,” Hyunjin coaxed. Seungmin immediately opened his mouth in opposition, but didn’t get a chance to say anything. He was too focused on keeping his water from spilling again as he was dragged back over to where the couches (and Minho) were.

Jisung was opening a box eagerly, his eyes focused and tongue out in a manner that Seungmin thought resembled a puppy. His honey-colored hair practically bounced as he pulled out a small clear ball and held it up.

“Okay, so everyone who’s playing say ‘agreed’ that way the lisphere will activate,” Jisung said, and a murmur of people saying ‘agreed’ hummed faintly over the blaring music. Hyunjin was one of the people who said it, and Seungmin looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Say ‘agreed’,” Hyunjin urged.

“Why?” Seungmin asked.

Jisung seemed to overhear their conversation, and he perked up with a huge grin across his face. Seungmin didn’t know Han Jisung well at all, aside from that the boy was terrible at potions (he’d heard his fair share of stories), a little bit over energetic, and he really liked cheesecake. He always felt if he were friends with Jisung that it would wear him out, but he enjoyed watching the Gryffindor’s amusing behavior from afar.

“Ah, Seungmin, I haven’t seen you come to one of these before. You playing?” He asked.

“Oh, I don’t kno-” Hyunjin suddenly elbowed him in the ribs “-I mean I guess I am?” He finished, shooting his friend a scornful glare, but Hyunjin just smiled back at him with his eyes formed into crescents. Seriously, what was his problem today? Why was he so adamant that Seungmin come to the party, and then on top of that adamant for him to play their stupid party games?

“I’ll explain real quick, for anyone else who doesn’t know how it works,” Jisung said, and Seungmin was silently grateful for not being singled out quite as much anymore. “This here-” he held up the clear ball from before “- is a lisphere.”

Seungmin looked closer at the small sphere and noticed that, although it was clear, the inside of the ball had what appeared to be hundreds of spinning gems moving about it, each the size of a grain of rice. They were just as clear as the ball itself, preventing Seungmin from even noticing this detail until he had seen it at a much closer view.

“What does it do?” Seungmin asked, marvelling at how pretty it looked, the hundreds of little gems inside of it spinning endlessly, yet still entrapped in the small sphere.

“It can tell when you’re lying,” Hyunjin said. “But it needs your consent in order to do so.”

“It’s made for truth or dare, specifically, and is actually legal unlike using veritaserum. Basically, just agree that you’re playing the game and the ball will automatically recognize you as a player. Anytime you’re holding it and you lie, the little gems inside of it will turn a dark shade of green.”

“Jisung, tell a lie to demonstrate it,” said Chan from the floor on the other side of the seating area.

“Alright, ummm,” his face scrunched up in thought. “Aha! My name isn’t Han Jisung.”

He said the word with a little grin, like he thought it was the funniest joke in the world. Seungmin thought it to be a little endearing, even if it was kind of childish. After he spoke, the gems rapidly darkened into a mossy green color, still spinning just as quickly through the lisphere. After a few moments, they slowly began to revert back to their original crystal clear state.

“Easy enough to understand,” Hyunjin said, and Seungmin felt himself reluctantly agreeing. He had to admit that he was a little interested now, even if only for the opportunity to get to hold the lisphere, as it looked awfully cool and would probably look even cooler if it was in his own hands

“Alright, I agree to play,” Seungmin finally caved, and maybe the way Hyunjin cheered was worth it, because he made his best friend happy for whatever reason.

“Alright, and so it begins. No chickens, everyone, but obviously don’t make someone do anything too overboard. No trips to the infirmary, or else Madam Yoon is gonna be on my ass, so play safe,” Jisung said, shivering at some memory Seungmin knew nothing of.

The game started fairly light, with some seventh year Gryffindor that Seungmin didn’t know the name of asking Chan to describe his favorite prank that he had ever pulled. The lisphere was tossed to Chan and he began animatedly describing a story involving exploding cans of worms, a robot puppy toy (“muggle thing” he explained for those who didn’t know), and how he used them to convince his Ancient Ruins teacher that the classroom was haunted. During the tale, the lisphere tinted green a couple of times, probably signifying white lies in Chan’s story, but overall it stayed clear and proved the sentiment of his story to be true.

After that, Chan dared a Hufflepuff sixth year to perform a Colovaria (color change) charm to the hair of the person they found most attractive in the room. As a result, Felix was stuck with a mop of hot pink hair for the next few foreseeable hours. He looked piqued, but also flattered that he was chosen for the top of his ears were almost as pink as his hair.

A few more rounds continued like that, the different dares and questions interesting enough to keep a group of sixteen to eighteen year olds amused, but not outlandish enough to make anyone get actually upset. Seungmin respected it, even if the rule-following part of him wanted to scold whoever brought alcohol. He is a prefect, after all.

Hyunjin got some silly dare to write a fake love letter, signed with his own name but addressed to no one, to be owled randomly around the school and dropped in the middle of a busy study room. Someone quickly conjured up some parchment and a quill for him to achieve the task, and the owl was off within the minute.

Unsurprisingly, Hyunjin tossed the lisphere into Seungmin’s hands with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Seungmin has known Hyunjin long enough to know that he was in for something. The two of them had always had a history of pranking each other, but it was all in good fun, even if it had landed them in detention a few times, to Seungmin’s disdain. So whatever Hyunjin was planning could easily be part of one of his pranks, and Seungmin was shocked he hadn’t realized it sooner.

“Alright, get on with it. Truth,” Seungmin said, not ready for whatever his friend was about to say.

“Do you like anyone, Seungmin? Romantically,” he added on the last bit to make sure Seungmin didn’t get out of his truth by Hyunjin’s inadequate wording.

Seungmin froze, but knew that it would be suspicious if he stayed in that state for long. He definitely wasn’t sure what Hyunjin could be playing at at this point, but he knew he really didn’t want to answer that question. There was no way around it, though, for the lisphere was already in his hands. If he refused to answer the question, everyone would know that it’s because the answer is “yes” either way, because that’s the only logical reason for someone to chicken out from answering such a simple question.

So, Seungmin did the only thing that he could do in this situation. He told the truth.

“Yes.”

The group playing, along with a few bystanders, erupted in whispers. He didn’t know who half of them were, but he was a prefect after all, and so many students knew who he was and were probably surprised, or curious as to who the person is. It left a sour taste in Seungmin’s mouth, knowing how invested students are in each other’s dramas and personal lives.

When the game finally came around to being Seungmin’s turn again, Changbin was the one tossing the lisphere to him.

“Truth or dare?” Changbin asked, and Seungmin didn’t miss the vague smirk that was on his face. He glanced at Minho, who was sitting next to Changbin with his legs crossed and was petting his cat with what seemed to be zero interest for what was happening around him. Seungmin knew he was playing, though, because he had agreed in the beginning.

He pondered his options. One one hand, it was very likely that Changbin would ask him who it is that he liked, if for nothing more than using it to humiliate him. He was friends with Minho, after all, so Seungmin wouldn’t put it past him. But Seungmin didn’t have to answer. If anything, not answering that question would be a good excuse for him to leave the party, as refusing to answer would disqualify him from the game. The idea seemed increasingly better the more he thought about it.

As for a dare, he still didn’t want to risk whatever it was Changbin would make him do. The answer seemed simple, when he put it that way in his mind.

“Truth,” Seungmin replied without missing a beat.

Changbin hummed, as if deep in thought, but Seungmin could tell that the other already knew what he was going to say.

“Is the person that you like playing with us right now?”

Seungmin faintly felt panic bubbling in him, pricking at his insides and giving him goosebumps. He denied it before he had time to think. “What? No, no.”

His face was heating up now as he realized his mistake, and the clear swirls in the lisphere melded into a deep green. He hadn’t expected Changbin to ask something so specific, and cursed himself for reacting without thinking.

Changbin raised one eyebrow. “Well I guess that answers that question,” he said, but he didn’t seem like he was shocked by any of it. 

Seungmin suddenly wondered what the other knew. He couldn’t know, right? At least, that’s what he tried to convince himself. He had been so careful, had never done something to give it away. Maybe he was reading into it, and Changbin was just always this stoic. Yea, that had to be it.

“I don’t want to play this anymore,” Seungmin said, and the lisphere turned clear again to reflect the truth in his words.

“Aw come on, Minnie,” Hyunjin said, slinging an arm over his best friend.

“I’m tired, Hyunjin,” he grumbled quietly enough for only the two of them to hear, and Hyunjin looked at him with pity (and possibly guilt, for some reason? Maybe he blamed himself for bringing up the idea of who Seungmin fancied in the first place). The lisphere, still in his hands, shone as clear as ever, reflecting that he was, indeed, tired.

Hyunjin, seemingly making up his mind after a few moments, sighed and started to pull away from the crowd. “I think Seungmin and I are gonna turn in, it’s getting late after all,” He said casually, and waved goodbye to all the people that were playing.

Seungmin nodded, smiling despite the slight sickness he felt in his stomach, and tossed the lisphere on the couch in between where Changbin and Minho were sitting. Minho glanced up, his eyes meeting Seungmin’s for only half a second, and Seungmin felt the impulse to throw out some meaningless insult before he remembered what had just happened and he bit the inside of his cheek, his face becoming even hotter.

He broke eye contact and swiftly followed Hyunjin from the room, thankful beyond words that Hyunjin didn’t question him about anything that had happened at the party. Seungmin felt embarrassed, and was afraid that he’d snap at his best friend if he had brought anything up. Instead of focusing on the party, the two friends ended up joking about random things until Seungmin was dropped back off at the entrance to the Slytherin common room, where he promptly bidded his best friend goodnight.

Minutes later, under the safety of his covers in his dorm, Seungmin let out a breath that he hadn’t even known he was holding in. He felt like he had forgotten to breathe since before that damn truth or dare game had started, and he grumbled to himself.

“Are you at all curious about it?” Jeongin asked the next night at dinner, leaning into an unimpressed Minho.

“And why exactly would anything having to do with Seungmin concern me?” Minho fired back in return. 

“I mean, there were no more than a dozen people playing truth or dare with us last night. It’s gotta make you at least a little curious,” Changbin said, and Minho was surprised that he was egging on the conversation.

“But it doesn’t,” Minho deadpanned, before almost spitting out his juice at Jeongin’s next words.

“But what if he was talking about you?”

“Are you out of your damn mind?” Minho shouted, but the Great Hall was too loud on this Sunday evening for it to catch any unwanted attention.

“It kind of makes sense, when you think about it,” Changbin said.

“And I cannot believe that you’re going along with this.”

Changbin shrugged. “Me neither, but I was there last night and the way that Seungmin acted was definitely strange.”

“He could have been talking about any of the people playing,” Minho argued. “He could have meant you, Changbin!”

Jeongin snorted. “Doubtful.”

“How so?”

“Because, Minho,” Jeongin started. “Look at it this way. Seungmin generally keeps to himself, right? Hyunjin is the only person he actively hangs out with on a daily basis.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Minho said, only to be difficult, because he did indeed know that to be the truth, although he wasn’t sure how it pertained to the argument.

“Well it’s true, so why is it that he’s always picking arguments with you? What makes you in specific so special? No offense,” He added on at the end when he saw Minho raise an eyebrow, and Minho probably would have hexed him if he wasn’t Jeongin.

“And why are you two giving this so much thought? If anything, Hyunjin is the most likely candidate.”

“I know it sounds crazy. I didn’t buy into the idea either at first,” Changbin said. “I mean, it’s Seungmin we’re talking about here. You guys have been at each other’s throats since third year, but in a way doesn’t that kind of support what Jeongin was saying? Maybe the dude just sucks at channeling his emotions.”

Minho was beginning to understand what his friends were getting at, but that didn’t make it any easier to process. There were at least ten other people playing with them last night, so the likelihood that he was the object of Seungmin’s affections wasn’t very high, despite what his friends thought. He kept telling himself that, because the alternative was something he had never even considered in the past six years of knowing the guy.

While Minho was lost in thought, he found himself drawn to looking at the Slytherin table as if it would somehow confirm or deny his friends suspicions. As suspected, he caught sight of the boy in question at his own table, talking to Hyunjin without a care in the world. He looked different this way, with a smile on his face instead of the various menacing ways he usually looked at Minho. It was relaxed, natural, and Minho idly thought that it suited Kim Seungmin to not look like a ponce asshole for once. Minho hadn’t really taken the time to look at him properly before, especially without provocation from the man in question, so coming to the revelation that Seungmin could look like a decent human being came to him as more of a shock than it should have.

Not liking the way his thoughts were headed, he whipped his head back to his friends in frustration.

“Where did you guys even come up with this dumb theory in the first place?” He asked, keeping his stance of utter denial.

“I’m just a genius like that,” Jeongin retorted, and Changbin, for lack of better words, nodded in agreement with him. Minho found it suspicious.

“You guys are definitely hiding something from me,” He said, narrowing his eyes at both of them. As expected, Changbin looked nervous. He could never lie to Minho without the other catching on sooner or later. “This isn’t just about last night, is it?”

“Well, would you look at all that gravy!” Jeongin exclaimed. The gravy for their mashed potatoes magically refilled itself, and Jeongin was pointing it out as if they weren’t fucking wizards. It was a horrible attempt at changing the subject and he knew it.

“Tell me what you know,” Minho growled, but it wasn’t threatening, and Jeongin rolled his eyes. He knew that his friend was all bark and no bite.

“Listen,” Changbin began, and Jeongin slapped his shoulder before he could continue.

“Don’t tell him! We are supposed to be subtle here!” He scolded.

“You didn’t even let me finish!” Changbin yelled back in exasperation.

“Subtle about what?” Minho intervened, but his friends effectively ignored him.

“Because I know you were gonna give too much away!”

“Then you come up with something better!”

“I will,” Jeongin declared, and whipped his head back to Minho, who was watching the two in bewilderment.

“Seriously you two, what am I missing here?” he asked.

“Maybe we should just tell him,” Changbin mumbled.

“Exactly!” Minho agreed at the same time Jeongin yelled “Absolutely not!”

“Just let me handle this,” Jeongin said.

Minho crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. “I’m listening.”

“So basically,” Jeongin trailed off, searching within himself for the best words to use. “I can’t say everything. Not now, at least, but Changbin and I are positive that you’re the person Seungmin has a crush on.”

“But how could you possibly know that for sure?” Minho asked, not liking whatever it was that was being kept hidden from him.

“You gotta trust us here,” Changbin said. “Just don’t go and be an asshole about it to Seungmin or something.”

“Yea, I second that,” Jeongin chimed in. “He’s got it real bad, I think.”

“Why would I be an asshole to him for that? I’m not a shitty person,” MInho said, and then he sighed in exasperation. “I can’t be an asshole to him for something that’s not even true in the first place.”

Changbin shrugged. “Then don’t believe us. Nothing we can do about that.”

“Alright, then I’ll continue not believing you,” Minho shot back, but he clearly wasn’t as convinced anymore. He could usually tell when his friends, especially Changbin, were lying, but right now they didn’t seem to be. The thought scared him even more than whatever it was they were hiding from him.

After that, Minho dropped the subject. His friends didn’t seem eager to bring it up again, at least for the moment, and didn’t comment on how Minho was more quiet than usual the rest of dinner. He was lost in thought, thinking about everything his friends said. Supposing they were actually right, and Seungmin was secretly in love with him or whatever, what would that even mean for Minho? Did he want it to mean anything? His head was starting to hurt with all of it, and he shoved food into his mouth wordlessly to distract himself, but to no avail.

Minho had a feeling he’d be thinking about this until he figured it out for himself, and he couldn’t explain why he was so interested in getting to the bottom of it.

Minho had been thinking so much about the entire thing that he was getting headaches from being kept awake at night, just wondering if what Jeongin and Changbin had said was true. At this point, he couldn’t tell if he was more bothered from not knowing, or from not understanding why he apparently cared enough that it was making him lose sleep.

He had known Seungmin for many years, and not a single one of their encounters was something that Minho could call pleasant. Supposing that his friends were right and Seungmin actually did fancy him, the pressing question was why. Unless Seungmin enjoyed being insulted, Minho couldn’t understand what he could have done to make the other have interest in him.

“Maybe you’re just that gorgeous,” Jeongin had said when Minho brought it up.

He had replied, “Flattery will get you nowhere,” but it didn’t stop him from wondering what the real answer could be.

Changbin’s answer was more helpful, but still left him with questions.

“You’re quite the catch, I think,” he had said. “Sure, maybe you two don’t get along, but you’re not only the moments that you spend with him.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that maybe Seungmin started to like the Lee Minho that he doesn’t get to know personally,” Changbin offered. Minho furrowed his eyebrows, contemplating as his friend continued. “He probably noticed how smart you are, how you try to help anyone who is confused, even if you play it off as like you’re annoyed at them. Or maybe he saw you with your cats, coddling them, treating them like they're the light of your world because they are.”

“Seeing a cute man play with kittens is enough to make anyone fall in love,” Jeongin added, and Minho felt tempted to smack him, ignoring the flush that formed on his cheeks from the comment.

“You think so?” he asked instead, more to Changbin, who nodded.

“Maybe you should start doing the same,” he offered. “Pay attention to him a little more, because you clearly have some sort of interest.”

“I do not-” Minho began to deny vehemently, but Changbin was having none of it.

“If you have absolutely no interest in Seungmin, you wouldn’t still be talking about this days after the party,” he pointed out, looking a tad smug when he saw whatever argument Minho had planned fly out of the metaphorical window in his head, rendering him momentarily speechless.

“Plenty of people have had crushes on you in the past, but you’ve never fixated on one like this,” Jeongin said while the others were quiet.

“I’m just confused,” Minho spoke softly, but the argument was weak even to his own ears.

Minho approached his friends a few more times, because he was still sure that they knew something that he didn’t, but they never budged. All his attempts to make them divulge only ended up with leaving Minho more confused when they made some valid (he begrudgingly admits) point about how Minho was still hung up on Seungmin’s maybe-crush.

In addition, he caught them talking with Hyunjin multiple times, but they wouldn’t tell him what their conversations were about. It was driving him up the wall.

“I think you should invite Seungmin to the Hogsmeade trip this weekend,” Changbin brought up to him on Tuesday during breakfast. Minho dropped his fork in shock and winced when it clattered on his plate loudly.

“And why would I do that?”

“Because… How long has it been since you went on a date, Minho?” Jeongin asked teasingly, and Minho swatted at him in embarrassment.

“As if I’d think about inviting him,” Minho had responded in between bites of eggs, but Changbin and Jeongin looked at him with matching unconvinced expressions. It made Minho even more annoyed, and he left breakfast early that day.

Even though that was two days ago, Minho was still thinking about it. The Hogsmeade trip was on Saturday, two days from now, and Minho planned to go with his friends like usual. Seungmin would probably be there, too, with Hyunjin, so what was the point of inviting him anyways? As far as he was concerned, his friends were full of shit and Seungmin actually hated him all along. (Logically, in his head, he had realized this is likely not the case, but he would even lie to himself at this point to keep himself sane). Asking him to accompany him to Hogsmeade would just be humiliating when he got rejected and a couple of insults thrown at him for the road. Did Minho even want to invite him, or was he just curious about what the others' response would be now that his friends put all these crazy ideas about it being a date in his head?

Minho also found himself paying more attention to Seungmin in the past few days. Before, he only paid attention to Seungmin when the Slytherin was picking a fight. Now, thanks to Changbin’s comments from days earlier, he was stealing glances at him as often as he could without being noticed. Minho was starting to think that Seungmin was stealing glances, too, because their eyes would often meet and Seungmin would look away just as quickly. Had this always been something without Minho noticing it? Had Seungmin always been looking in his direction? If what Changbin and Jeongin had said was true, it would all fit together, but he still couldn’t bring himself to believe it completely, not yet.

He had also come to the conclusion that he didn’t truly hate Seungmin, despite whatever turns out to be true or a figment of his friends’ imaginations. Sure, the younger was a pain in his ass, and he was the one always picking fights, the one who always seemed to have a problem with Minho as opposed to the other way around, but Minho realized that he didn’t actually have hatred for him, but was rather just participating in the arguments because he didn’t really have another choice.

Minho couldn’t make sense of any of it, and he was getting more frustrated as the days passed by.

“Minho, are you even listening?” Jeongin asked during Thursday afternoon. The three friends were on their way to the courtyard to hang out during a shared free period, and Minho was lost in thought again.

“Yea, totally, definitely listening,” He said, preoccupied, and Jeongin shook his head in disappointment.

When they got to a certain point in the halls, Changbin and Jeongin both stopped walking at the same moment, sharing mischievous looks amongst the two of them. Minho didn’t notice at first, but quickly realized that he was walking alone and backtracked to where his friends were standing, clearly both trying to keep poker faces. They failed, and Minho knew immediately that something was up.

“What the hell are you two smiling about?”

“Oh, nothing,” Jeongin said, but his voice was much too high and innocent for Minho to believe him.

“It’s just that…” Changbin began. “Well, we’re sorry about this.”

“Who is we?”

“I,” Changbin corrected. “Because Jeongin is a cold-hearted son of a bitch, so I doubt he’s actually sorry.”

“And what are you apologizing f-”

Minho didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Changbin had suddenly muttered the words to an incantation and Jeongin was pushing him. Hands collided with his chest, not painfully, but enough to startle him, enough force to push him backwards. He was so surprised that he couldn’t keep himself up right, and he stumbled backwards into the wall behind him.

Key words: into the wall. Instead of feeling the pain of his back hitting the stone, he kept falling until he landed on the ground.

“What the hell?” Minho muttered out loud. He was looking up at the wall he had somehow managed to pass through, almost like the entrance to platform nine and three quarters. He had felt the wall, felt himself pass through it like it was made of silk. Now though, the stone wall in front of him was solid, and he felt a hand against them to make sure.

It was cold, and as he had predicted, solid, as if he hadn’t just passed through it moments ago. His friends were still on the other side, hidden from his sight, and Minho realized with a sudden groan that he was trapped in here and it was clearly his friend’s doing.

“What the hell are you doing here?” a voice asked. Minho knew that voice anywhere, unfortunately, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized who was with him, because why would he be here?

Except that it made perfect sense, because Changbin and Jeongin were the ones that got him into his predicament. He wasn’t exactly sure what kind of magic that they had used to do that, but he knew he was stuck in here, and he apparently wasn’t alone.

Minho scrambled onto his feet again and ran his hand down his robes, watching as dust particles flew everywhere. He turned away from the direction he had entered and found himself facing Seungmin, who was scowling the usual way he did when he looked at Minho. This time, though, it was different, because there was confusion on his face alongside his usual scowl. There was a little bit of dirt on his head, and Minho felt the need to wipe it off even though he knew he couldn’t without making the situation awkward. Aside from the dirt, though, Seungmin looked as perfect as usual, and Minho felt an unidentifiable pang in his chest when he took in the other’s appearance up close for the first time in days. For the first time since the party.

He would store that feeling and analyse it at a later date (aka never, if he could help it).

“Hi, Seungmin,” was all he could muster out, the words breathy and strained.

“How the hell did you get in here?” He asked, and was suddenly drawing out his wand.

“Don’t point that thing at me!” Minho exclaimed. “I should be asking the same to you.” Minho had a suspicion, and it was confirmed with Seungmin’s next words.

“Hyunjin pushed me in here, for some reason. I don’t know, but I’ve been here for around five minutes.”

“I fucking knew it,” Minho groaned, and met Seungmin’s angry gaze. “I had nothing to do with this, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he quickly explained. “But we are basically in the same predicament here. Jeongin pushed me in here.”

“Fuck, is that why your friends have been talking with Hyunjin so much recently?” Seungmin asked. “But why would they want to trap us in a room together? Unless they got a hidden view of this somewhere, and they’re sitting around with popcorn while waiting for when one of us snaps and we kill each other.”

If the past week was to give him any hint, Minho was positive that killing each other is not what his friends had in mind when shoving them together in, well, wherever they were. It was a small room, but comfortable enough for both of them to stand in. Almost like a broom closet, but without any supplies or shelves, or much of anything. Just as dusty as you’d expect a broom closet to be, though. The room was relatively empty, with hard stone walls and lanterns to light it up. The lights were dim, just enough that Minho could see the other man in the room with him clearly, but not able to make out all the details from his distance of a few feet.

“How do we get out of here?” Minho asked. “What even is this?”

“Do you even pay attention in class?” Seungmin retorted, because of course he could find a way to insult Minho even in a dire situation. “You should’ve learned this in fourth year. It’s a simple spell, actually.”

“And how do we reverse it?” Minho asked. “I want to get the hell out of here.”

“And you think I don’t? I already tried, but I guess that my counter spell isn’t as powerful as the original spell casted,” Seungmin said bitterly. “Which means we are stuck here until it wears off and we can walk through the wall again.”

“And how long will that take?”

“Probably thirty minutes to an hour,” Seungmin said spitefully, and then he groaned out loud. “Why you of all people. Why would Hyunjin want to do something like this to me?”

“Because our friends are fucking insane,” Minho said without thinking. He knew he probably shouldn’t have said it, but the words came out despite that. His anger at his friends for doing this and his confusion over everything were becoming too much. “They’re convinced that you’re in love with me or something, and this is probably their attempt at getting us together. So if you wanna blame anyone, blame yourself for making them think something so ridiculous.”

Minho began banging against the walls, but it was useless. He doubted anyone on the other side could hear him. The walls weren’t giving away and Minho was stuck, except now his hands hurt. The side of his palms were red, and one was scratched up, but there was fortunately no bleeding.

Seungmin was quiet the entire time, not even throwing insults at Minho for his fruitless attempts at excape. Minho expected him to reply to what he had said, to freak out and deny it and get angry, but when he turned to look at the other again, Minho found him staring with widened eyes.

“They think what?” He asked, but his voice was small. Minho didn’t like it. He wasn’t used to this. He was used to the apathetic Seungmin he was usually met with, the one that would only show emotion when it came to his anger while yelling at Minho, not the one who was looking at him like a nervous puppy.

Minho didn’t understand why Seungmin was reacting like that, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to. He could think of one reason why it would make sense, one reason that could explain why Seungmin looked so utterly vulnerable in that moment, like a deer caught in headlights, or like a child who was caught before they could steal the last cookie after bedtime, but Minho didn’t want to think about that.

“They think I’m the one you like,” Minho repeated, mentally slapping himself and his inability to just somehow change the damn subject. Seungmin still didn’t respond in the way Minho would want or expect of him. He kept looking at Minho with those big puppy dog eyes, and the older found himself more unnerved by the situation as every second passed.

“That’s certainly odd,” Seungmin said simply, but the long pause before he woke was all too telling.

“I know, it’s such a stupid idea right?” Minho replied, not knowing what to do besides play along, and he let out a short laugh that wasn’t at all convincing. “I mean, you’ve hated me since you were thirteen or something, for whatever reason. I don’t know where this weird conspiracy came from, but it’s actually a little bit funny.”

“Yea, hilarious,” Seungmin mirrored Minho’s laugh after he spoke, but it was hollow and didn’t have Minho convinced for even a second. 

The silence that existed around them in the next minute was so tense that Minho felt the world would shatter if he spoke again, but he couldn’t just stand around like this for another half hour until the wall finally gave in and let them back into the corridor.

Half of his mind was still entertaining the possibility that everything was true, despite the other half screaming at him to just let it go and focus on getting out of his current predicament. At that moment, Minho wished that he could obliviate Seungmin and make him forget everything Minho had said since he’d gotten into this mess. Either that, or obliviate himself so he didn’t remember anything from the past week.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t a viable option, which left Minho stuck in a room for an unknown amount of time with the boy in front of him who may or may not want to date him, the boy who Minho may or may not think looks incredibly fucking cute in the dimmed light around them with the nervous look playing onto his features.

God, fucking shut up, he told himself, because he was certainly not helping the situation by allowing his thoughts to make him even more confused about the boy in front of him.

It was probably in that moment that he made his decision, or maybe before. At this point, Minho couldn’t believe that he was in his right mind with what he was about to attempt. It was something that had flickered into his mind countless times over the past few days, but something so outlandish and so against what Minho would usually do that he had shoved the thought into a locked safe in his head and thrown away the key without actually exploring it for what it could mean. Surely having thoughts like that in the first place had to mean something, though, and Minho was starting to piece it together whether he liked it or not.

“Can I try something?” He asked, finally breaking the silence, his voice almost echoing in the empty room. Seungmin narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and Minho realized how his words could be taken wrong. “I’m not going to cause an explosion or anything, I promise. This isn’t about getting out”

“I suppose, then?” Seungmin responded after some hesitation, his voice trailing off. He was clearly confused, but didn’t know what else to say. Minho gulped, because he hadn’t expected to get this far.

“Just, err, hold still,” He commanded lightly. “And maybe close your eyes?”

“Why?”

Seungmin was still looking at him with suspicion. In a way, though, it made Minho calm down, because it was an emotion that he was used to seeing on Seungmin. 

“Just because, I-” Minho stammered. “It’s embarrassing!”

“What are you trying to do?” Seungmin asked louder, looking horrified. He took a step back from Minho so that he was practically leaning against the wall behind him, and it made something in Minho’s stomach flip.

“God, you’re so difficult!” Minho let slip out, and regretted it when Seungmin’s face contorted with anger. “Fuck, fuck, that’s not what I mean to say. At all. Fuck. I’m sorry?”

He knew that he didn’t look very composed at the moment, and Seungmin seemed completely bewildered by his sudden apology. Thankfully, though, the younger no longer looked angry, but now he was just looking at Minho like he wanted answers, and Minho wasn’t sure how to go about giving them.

“It’s fine…” Seungmin said. “But if you don’t mind, can you just be frank with me?”

Minho swallowed, wondering if it was time to just throw his pride out the window for the sake of figuring out this entire mess.

“Well, if you really must know,” He began, stopping himself when the final words came out with a slight squeak. His nerves were acting up, and he suddenly wished that he had a magic spell to deal with this shit (Maybe there was and he just forgot, who knows)

Apparently, it was time after all.

“I was going to try and kiss you,” He finished quietly, half hoping that the other hadn’t heard his words. But he knew that Seungmin did, because there were no noises in this room aside from the ones that the two of them made, and at this point there was no possibility of taking it back. 

Minho paled after a few moments of silence, too scared to raise his gaze to meet Seungmin’s eyes again. He wasn’t even sure when he stopped maintaining eye contact.

“Alright, then do it.”

Minho snapped his head up and looked at the other in shock. Now it was Seungmin’s turn not to meet his eyes, the Slytherin standing with his bottom lip caught between his teeth and a pretty flush on his cheeks that had a fluttery feeling appearing in Minho’s stomach. Not now, he told himself, because he had more pressing things to handle at the moment.

“Did I just hear you right?” Minho asked. “You’re telling me that I just proposed that I, Lee Minho, kiss you, and my lips haven’t been somehow cursed off of my face, or shrunken, or turned permanently blue?”

“God, just do it already before I actually hex your mouth shut,” Seungmin growled, and Minho decided that didn’t need to be told again.

He grabbed the younger’s arm and pulled him towards him. Somewhere along the way, Seungmin stumbled against his own feet and Minho followed suit, wincing only slightly when his back hit the wall behind him. Seungmin looked apologetic for a moment, but Minho was too focused on how pretty he looked this close up to care. With the dim light, he could only see the younger clearly now that they were this close, their faces only inches apart. How had he not noticed how gorgeous Seungmin is before? But seeing him in the halls, being the receiver of his glares, of someone that Seungmin looked to with scorn, wasn’t comparable to seeing Seungmin like this, tongue tied and nervous and nothing like the confident prefect that walked the halls and barked out rules.

He knew his thoughts were beginning to run wild again, so he pushed them away before he could talk himself out of doing what he clearly wanted to do. He closed the distance between himself and Seungmin. The kiss was quick, and sweet, and Minho could tell that both of them were inexperienced. Right when it ended, and Minho was going to back up, Seungmin had grabbed the front of his robes and pulled their lips together for a second time.

He had never thought in his life that he would be kissing Kim Seungmin, let alone enjoying it, but things had really changed in less than a week. He could taste lip balm on the other’s lips, perhaps watermelon or strawberry, he wasn’t really sure, but he found that he liked it, and knew that the taste was going to become a reminder of the fluttering feeling that he felt in the moment from kissing the other boy. He was sure his own lips were chapped, because he, unlike Seungmin, was not using fruit lip balm, and he hoped that it wasn’t bothering the other.

They broke apart after only a few seconds, but Minho kept their lips only an inch apart at most as he brought a hand to brush back a strand of hair on Seungmin’s face, afterwards just resting the hand on his cheek, his thumb stroking absentmindedly.

“Hi,” he said softly after a few moments, resisting the urge to laugh when Seungmin looked at him like he was crazy. 

“That’s what you have to say after that?” He asked, his voice quiet. He tried to pull back, but Minho used his other hand to cup Seungmin’s cheeks and press another kiss on his lips.

“Apparently so,” he said when he pulled back again, relishing in the way Seungmin’s face turned an even darker shade of red.

“Lee Minho,” Seungmin said, his voice coated in light-hearted sarcasm. “You are quite the romantic.”

Forty-five minutes after the spell had been cast and Minho and Seungmin had been trapped together, their friends watched as the two stumbled back into the Hogwarts corridor, looking surprisingly like they weren’t about to murder each other.

“I take it this means it worked?” Changbin asked. Jeongin and Hyunjin followed his eyes to find them looking at Minho and Seungmin, who were lightly holding hands. “It actually worked?”

Noticing the stares, the two boys jumped and released each others hands, almost as if they hadn’t noticed they’d been holding them in the first place.

“I knew it!” Jeongin yelled, and he suddenly threw his arms around Minho.

Hyunjin waved at Seungmin and was glowered at in return.

“Don’t think I’ve forgiven you for this just yet,” Seungmin scolded. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Does this mean that we have to tell them about the love potion?” Jeongin asked, his arms still around Minho, who was doing everything in his power not to shove the younger off and hex him.

“Love potion!?” Minho and Seungmin yelled in unison.

“Aha, yea, so about that,” Hyunjin began as he scratched the back of his head. “It’s a long story…”

“It was Hyunjin’s idea!”

“Shut up, brat!” Hyunjin retorted, pulling the youngest away from Minho. “Maybe if you kept your damn mouth shut and didn’t mention the potion.”

“What fucking potion?” Minho asked again, with increased frustration.

“Well, not an actual love potion,” Jeongin said. “I mean, it was a real potion, but it didn’t work. That’s how we figured out Seungmin liked you in the first place!”

The two boys looked as confused as ever, and Hyunjin sighed. “I guess we should start from the beginning.”

“Damn right you will,” Seungmin said, and looked like he was about to say more before he felt a hand on his head.

“You’re cute when you’re angry,” Minho whispered, ruffling his hair. It was loud enough that everyone could still hear. Seungmin pouted in response, and Jeongin made a gagging motion with his finger. Hyunjin and Changbin just stared when Minho bent down to plant a kiss on the top of Seungmin’s head, and the Slytherin blushed furiously.

“Oh that is weird,” Changbin said. Jeongin and Hyunjin nodded in agreement.

“You guys are the ones at fault here, you know,” Minho commented, and the friends remained quiet. They knew he was right, but it was still strange to see the way Minho and Seungmin were now acting around each other in comparison to how it had been before.

Minho knew at that moment, with the blushing, now giggling Slytherin in front of him, surrounded by the gobsmacked expressions of his friends faces, that it was only a matter of time before he fell absolutely head over heels for Kim Seungmin.


End file.
